Obturator.



Patented out. 31,1899,

T. N. McLeAN. oBTuRATuB.

(Application filed July 18, 1898.)

( No model.)

wim/wooo Nrrnn STATES Fries.

OBTU RATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,801, dated October31, 1899. Application filed July 18, 1898. Serial No. 686,240. (Nomodel.)

T0 ctZZ whom/ it muy concern:

Be it known that I, rIHOMAs N. MOLEAN, a

citizen of the United States of Am erica, residing in the city ofElizabeth, county of Union, and State of New Jersey, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Obturators, ot' which thefollowing is a description reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a front View of the upper portion of ahuman body bearing said improvement. Fig. 2 is a view, on an enlargedscale, showing a cross-section of the elastic inflatable endless tube,hereinafter described, with a central longitudinal section of a portionof the pipe by which the same may be inflated.

The object of the impro vement is to provide an improved means forsecuring an air-tight connection between the human body and an air-tightgarment for the treatment of disease inclosing a portion of that body.Such a device is shown in my Patent No. 594,961, dated December 7, 1897.Speaking in general terms, that patent shows an elastic garment or coverfor the trunk of the human body supported upon a suitable frame andprovided With means for eifecting a vacuum of such degree as may bedesired VWithin said garment or cover. The object of the presentinvention is to provide improved means foreffecting an airtightconnection of such a garment or cover with the body at the neck, thearms,or the like. So far as the human neck is concerned the problem ofeffectin g this air-tight connection between the body and the garmenthas been a difficult one, because of the irregularity of the surface ofnecks, in some eases the emaciation of disease forming what might betermed channels or ridges therein.

In the accompanying drawings the letter a denotes an elastic garment forthe chest `and abdomen. It is intended to be supported by a framework,as described in said Pat-ent No. 594,961. It is essential to theeffecting of the vacuum between the human body and the elastic garment athat all its connections to the body should be air-tight, and, as hasjust been pointed out, this is a difficult problem in some instances, sofar as the neck is concerned. I have shown the present improvement asapplied to the neck.

The letter b denotes an elastic iniiatable endless tubeattached to thegarment c, and c denotes a small pipe by which the tube b may beinflated after it is in place around the neck, which pipe is ofsufficient length to reach to the mouth of the patient or an attendant.The letter d denotes a mouthpiece having an outwardly-closing valve forretaining the pressure producing the inflation. The letter e denotes atube through which the necessary exhaustion of the air for the creationof the vacuum within the gar-ment a can be effected,andf denotes anothertube connected with a gage for registering the degree of that vacuum.

I claim as my improvement- In a surgical garment of the character setforth, the combination with the body portion adapted to encircle thehuman trunk, and means for producing a vacuum therein: of a thin elastictube attached to said portion and adapted to encircle the neck, a pipeconnected with this tube and of a length to reach to the patients mouth,and a valved mouthpiece on the pipe for permitting the production ofairpressure within saidA thin tube after it is applied in position,allsubstantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

THOMAS N. MOLEAN.

Vitnesses:

WILLIAM HOWARD, ZENMAN K. NORMAN.

